Saudi Arabia Registers a 300% Increase of Renewable Energy Share in the Energy Mix, Plants 43.9 Million Trees Since Launch of the SGI

The 3rd Saudi Green Initiative Forum began on Monday, coinciding with the 28th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28), with the aim of providing an important platform for various stakeholders to discuss ways to accelerate the pace of climate action.

HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince, Prime Minister and Chairman of the Supreme Committee for Green Saudi Arabia launched the Saudi Green Initiative (SGI) in 2021 to encourage the participation of various segments of Saudi society in efforts to address the issue of climate change, advance sustainable innovation of green industry, and accelerate the green transition journey.

Several Saudi officials participated in the forum to discuss the continued progress the Kingdom is making toward achieving the ambitious national goal of reaching zero neutrality by 2060. They also highlighted the Kingdom’s contribution to achieving global climate goals through the implementation of more than 80 initiatives concerning investments worth more than SAR705 billion ($188 billion), to build a more sustainable future for all.

The Kingdom is steadily working to achieve its goal of reducing carbon emissions by 278 million tons annually by 2030. To that end, the Kingdom aims to reach an optimal energy mix for electricity production, of approximately 50% natural gas and 50% renewable energy, by 2030. This will contribute to replacing up to one million barrels equivalent of liquid fuel currently used.

Since 2022, the Kingdom has witnessed the connection of renewable energy projects with a capacity of 2,100 megawatts to the national electricity grid. This brings the total capacity of renewable energy sources to 2,800 megawatts, enough to supply electricity to more than 520,000 homes.

This achievement represents a 300% increase in total capacity, and highlights the continued progress the Kingdom is witnessing in accelerating the transformation process in the energy sector.

By the end of 2023, renewable energy projects under construction will have a production capacity of more than 8GW. Moreover, there are a number of additional projects with a capacity of 13GW at different stages of development.

As part of ongoing efforts to transform the national energy mix, the Kingdom has launched several projects aimed at reducing reliance on liquid fuels and replacing them with gas, for electricity generation. Until December 2023, four high-efficiency gas-fired plants were operated to generate electricity with a total capacity of some 5.600MW.

The Kingdom is also currently building high-efficiency carbon capture and storage plants, with a total capacity of 8.4GW.

As part of the ongoing investment in the development of future fuels, the Kingdom continues to make tangible progress in the project to establish the world’s largest green hydrogen plant in NEOM, with a total investment of $8.4 billion. The Kingdom also signed many bilateral agreements with international companies in 2023, to cooperate in the production in the Kingdom and export of clean and green hydrogen.

Since the launch of the Saudi Green Initiative, 43.9 million trees have been planted and 94,000 hectares of degraded land have been reclaimed across the Kingdom. The progress so far is part of the goal to plant 10 billion trees over the coming decades. More than 40 initiatives are under way to support the phased target of planting more than 600 million trees and restoring 8 million hectares of land by 2030.

In October 2023, the Kingdom revealed a two-year detailed feasibility study of the plan to encourage vegetation growth throughout the country. The study was the result of more than 1,150 field surveys carried out in cooperation with more than 50 key experts. Afforestation and land reclamation projects are to be initiated at a number of locations, including mangrove forests, marshlands, mountain forests, pastures, national parks and valleys.

The roadmap of SGI will be implemented over two phases: the first runs from 2024 to 2030 and follows a nature-based approach for environmental rehabilitation, the second will commence in 2030. During its implementation, a comprehensive approach will be used, based on human efforts, and lessons learned from the first phase will be applied.

The efforts to rehabilitate the Kingdom’s natural environment, combat desertification and improve the quality of air by increasing tree density will provide job opportunities in many sectors.

The protected wildlife areas that cover the Kingdom’s terrain constitute 18.1%, while the marine reserve areas make up 6.49%. Five initiatives will increase the protected wildlife areas to 21% and the marine reserve areas to 26% by 2030.

The Saudi Green Initiative will restore and protect the environment and enhance the beauty of nature in various parts of the Kingdom. Since its launch, it has helped resettled in the Kingdom’s nature reserves 1,669 endangered animals, including Arabian oryx, sand gazelle, ibex, and leopard.

Moreover, seven Arabian leopards were born in 2023 due to the program to breed and protect endangered species in Taif.

The Saudi Green Initiative forum will be held until the closure day of COP28 Conference, on December 12. An accompanying exhibition will be open to visitors daily until December 12, from 10:00 am to 9:00 pm.